Green Paper for a EU Maritime Policy

The Green Paper Towards the future Maritime Policy for the Union: a European vision for the oceans and seas aims to launch a debate about the scope and main orientations of a future EU Maritime Policy.

The Green Paper proposes a policy that treats the oceans and seas in a holistic way in order to achieve a sustainable development of these areas; this is, to ensure mutual reinforcement of economic growth, social welfare and environmental protection. Instead a mere collection of vertical sectoral policies, this policy should be integrated, intersectoral and multidisciplinary. In this regard, existing sectoral policies on maritime transport, industry, offshore energy, fisheries, the marine environment, coastal regions and others are to be examined in a systematic manner in order to explore how they could be combined to reinforce each other by avoiding fragmentation of decision-making.

Underlying Principles

The Commission believes that in pursuing the vision of "an all-embracing maritime policy aimed at developing a thriving maritime economy, in an environmental sustainable manner" it should rest firmly on twin pillars:

• The Lisbon Strategy

• An Ecosystem-based Management

Relation with the coastal zone

Relation with ICZM

Relation with other EU policies

Related Capacity Building issues